As provided to me
Step into nine eerie lives where the obvious is left at the door, and the surprises are just a page turn away.
Family secrets a girl struggles to suppress, a man trapped by a woman's bones, a couple of killers and a touch of madness.
"Dark and twisted with a sting in every tale." Cass Green, Sunday Times bestselling author of In a Cottage in a Wood
My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book from Lola's Blog Tours for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own and are honest and unbiased.)
Okay,
so . . . there's nothing snuggly about Snuggle
with the Strange. In the end, I was torn between giving this book three
stars or four. Finally, I settled on four because Liane Carter's authorial
expertise balanced out my disappointment. Snuggle
with the Strange wasn’t wholly what I was looking forward to, and its themes
triggered some dark memories. Overall, the anthology just didn't jive well with
me.
Rereading the description now, I don't know why I had such different
expectations. I suppose I thought I'd be able to handle the darker themes
better than I did because I usually can. I wished a few stories had provided more
closure, and I had hoped for even more otherworldly horror than there was. While
Snuggle with the Strange had its
supernatural aspects, much of the horror was of the more realistic variety (domestic
abuse and so on), which would've been fine had I been expecting it. In fact, I appreciated that the author helped raise awareness of such abuse, it's just
I would have liked a trigger warning so that I could steel myself for it before reading.
Each story in Snuggle
with the Strange was masterfully woven. The plots were original, the deep
characters jumped off the page, and the descriptions were satisfyingly
unnerving. There were times throughout this book that I literally shivered, and
other times when I blurted, “What the heck did I just read?” I loved the unique
twists and turns. Liane Carter did a great job portraying the impact abuse can
have on people. I appreciated the messages she sent through the work, such as
that abuse shouldn't be tolerated.
I think the last story, "A Killer Like Me," was my favorite. The
action, the unnerving relationship between the main character and the overseer,
and the frightening supernatural threats—I just loved that entire story and
wanted more of it. Though Snuggle with the
Strange by Liane Carter wasn't entirely my cup of tea, it was a well-constructed
anthology with an eclectic selection of disturbing tales. If you can handle the darker themes and you enjoy stories that don't
have a lot of closure, you'll more than likely enjoy Snuggle with the Strange.
Trigger Warning: This is an adult work that contains disturbing themes, including violence, murder, and child and adult sexual, mental, and physical abuse.
About the Author
As provided to me
Devoted to giving her readers smiles, tears and tension in her poignant non-fiction, fast-paced fantasy adventures and adult fiction, Liane Carter bares her soul. Author of The Chronicles of Joya, The Dream Devils, Darcy: The Dog Who Talked, Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude, Snuggle with the Strange: 9 Twisted Tales, and stand-alone sequel to The Chronicles of Joya, The Fig Bean and the Huvri, she has written features and a weekly column for Costa Blanca News, articles for Writing Magazine, and has taught over 150 writing workshops.
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